A contingent of 203 Nepali peacekeepers from Narayandal Gan (Peacekeeping) 16th Daffa has departed for the United Nations mission area in South Sudan, as 204 Nepali Army personnel who completed their tour returned home on Wednesday night. The new contingent is replacing New Gorkha Gan (Peacekeeping) 15th Daffa, while 1,069 Nepali Army peacekeepers are currently serving in the mission, according to the Army’s Directorate of Public Relations and Information.
New contingent departs for South Sudan
The departure follows a call from the United Nations for the deployment of the 203-member contingent. The personnel are from Narayandal Gan (Peacekeeping) 16th Daffa and are headed to the mission area in South Sudan, where they will replace the outgoing New Gorkha Gan (Peacekeeping) 15th Daffa.
The handover marks a changeover between the two Nepali Army peacekeeping contingents. The newly departed personnel are taking the place of the unit that has completed its tour, while the returning group has concluded its assignment in the mission. The information provided by the Army’s Directorate of Public Relations and Information identifies the units involved and confirms the movement of both groups.
The reported departure figure is 203 peacekeepers. The replacement is part of the United Nations-requested deployment, according to the Army’s information. No further details about the contingent’s travel arrangements or the precise timing of its arrival in the mission area were provided in the report.
204 personnel return after completing their tour
A total of 204 Nepali peacekeepers who had completed their tour in the South Sudan mission returned to Nepal on Wednesday night. They were part of the personnel whose service in the mission had ended, with the New Gorkha Gan (Peacekeeping) 15th Daffa named as the unit being replaced by the departing Narayandal Gan contingent.
The number returning was one higher than the 203 personnel reported as departing. The figures refer to the two groups involved in the rotation: the new contingent leaving for the mission and personnel returning after completing their tour. The Army’s statement does not give a reason for the difference in their reported sizes.
Nepali presence in the mission
Despite the return of the completed-tour contingent, Nepali Army personnel continue to serve in South Sudan. The Directorate of Public Relations and Information said 1,069 Nepali peacekeepers are currently deployed in the mission. That figure provides the reported size of Nepal’s ongoing presence there, alongside the movement of the incoming and returning groups.
The latest rotation therefore involves both a deployment and a homecoming: 203 members of Narayandal Gan (Peacekeeping) 16th Daffa have left for the mission area, while 204 peacekeepers who completed their tour have returned. The Army’s announcement confirms the replacement of New Gorkha Gan (Peacekeeping) 15th Daffa and gives the current total of Nepali Army personnel serving in the South Sudan mission.
